The Infernal Gate
The Infernal Gate is the third chapter of Diablo II. The player travels to the Kurast Docks following the trail of Diablo and Baal. Act III is huge in size and filled with many challenging monsters. Summary The hero arrives at the Kurast Docks and is greeted by Hratli, who tells the hero that Mephisto's evil has completely overrun the countryside. The capital city of Kurast has been overrun by the now thoroughly corrupt Children of Zakarum, the local religious organisation and its priest caste. The survivors fled to the Kurast Docks, the last remnant of order in the land, which is already being encroached upon by the jungle-hell. In their travels, players find a rare Jade Figurine which is traded and bartered with Meshif and Alkor for an Elixir containing mythical and life extending properties. However, the magical spells protecting the Dock from the Jungle begins to weaken and the player is asked to recover a sacred Skatsimi Blade, known as the the Gidbinn. Afterwards the mage Ormus uses the blade to amplify the warding spell and the town is safe once more. The player is reminded of his true purpose in Kurast, the destruction of Mephisto. However, the Lord of Hatred has sealed himself away beneath the temple city of Travincal. In order to open the way into his lair, the hero has to shatter the vile artifact known as the Compelling Orb. This can only be done by gathering the remains of the former Que-Hegan, Khalim, whom Mephisto slew. Thus the player sets out to assemble Khalim's Will. Meanwhile, the town alchemist, Alkor, seeks the writings of a sage of old, who studied the Prime Evils and their effect on the mortal realm. However, this Black Book was lost when the Zakarum took over. The player assists in recovering the Black Book from one of Kurast's many ancient temples. In order to free the land of the corrupt Zakarum, Ormus tasks the player with destroying their priesthood, the High Council of Zakarum, within the temple city of Travincal. During the course of the quest, the player uses Khalim's Will to destroy the Compelling Orb and reveals Mephisto's secret lair. The hero descends into the lair of Hatred, hoping to prevent the Prime Evil's from reuniting. However, once again, it is too late: the Prime Evils had already met and with their combined powers they opened a portal into the Burning Hells. The player bravely faces Mephisto in battle and manages to defeat him. Act III concludes with the player entering the Infernal Gate. Quest Necessity and Tips In order to gain access to Act IV, the player must complete Khalim's Will, the Blackened City, and the Guardian, although the other 3 quests will reward the hero in the following ways: *Successfully completing the Jade Figurine will grant you a permanent +20 to your Life capacity *Completing the quest for the Gidbinn will reward you with a Rare Ring from Ormus, and, if alone, a free Iron Wolf from Asheara *Completing Lam Esen's Tome earns you +5 Stat Points to spend, and wares have a 10% discount for your deeds Trivia *The act mainly takes place alongside a riverbed. This was done to make it easier for players to see their characters and engage in combat (as opposed to denser undergrowth which would restrict movement).2015-09-08, Page 2: In Their Own Words: An Oral History of Diablo II With David Brevik, Max Schaefer, and Erich Schaefer. US Gamer, accessed on 2015-09-13 References 3